Free Web NovelChapter 165: Chapter 165: New Energy
Since healing the few people from Black Star, Xiao Du hadn’t eaten anything good recently.
There were few Beastmen on Yaoxing with collapsed spiritual power. The ones who remained almost all had partners, so that wasn’t an issue. As for Mu Tangfeng and Jiang Xia, they were temporarily resistant to Shi Lan’s spiritual power. Plus, their Spiritual Poison was currently stored within their spirit seas, making it impossible for Xiao Du to absorb.
Therefore, Shi Lan’s spiritual power hadn’t increased at all since arriving on Yaoxing.
But now, hearing what Xiao Du said, it wasn’t just the little creature who was interested—Shi Lan’s eyes lit up as well.
After getting a taste of the benefits last time, she knew this kind of energy was very useful for improving one’s spiritual power. Now that she was on Yaoxing, she couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on this mass of energy.
Shi Lan was surprised that Yaoxing had something this good. She had thought this type of energy would only appear on undeveloped planets. Although Yaoxing was poor, underdeveloped, and sparsely populated, it was still an inhabited planet with plenty of signs of development.
However, she didn’t waste time thinking about it. Instead, she immediately urged the two, who were showering, to get ready to go out.
Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng heard the urgency in her voice and thought something was wrong. They moved with incredible speed. Mu Tangfeng, who usually took the time to meticulously apply body oil after a shower, now just hastily rinsed off the soap and threw on some clothes before coming out.
Perhaps because they were both worried about Shi Lan, neither had dried off properly. Their clothes were covered in patches of dark and light wet marks.
"What’s wrong, Lanlan?"
The two asked with concern.
Shi Lan looked at their damp clothes, feeling a little apologetic, and quickly explained the reason.
Mu Tangfeng breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s good."
’At least nothing happened to her.’
He then added, "Lanlan, where is this mass of energy you mentioned? I can fly you there quickly."
Shi Lan couldn’t help but recall the cool, mysterious pair of large wings she’d seen outside her window last time. She nodded in eager anticipation. "Okay, I’ll lead the way."
Jiang Xia suddenly felt a pang of regret that he wasn’t a bird-type Beastman. Afraid of being left behind by Mu Tangfeng, he quickly transformed into the size of a regular house cat and leaped into Shi Lan’s arms.
"I want to go too."
Mu Tangfeng shot him a glance at the sound of his voice. He walked outside and unfurled his wings. Under the circumstances, he didn’t fuss over his personal rule of not carrying other males on his back.
’No matter what, Lanlan’s safety comes first. It’s better to have one more person protecting her.’
He suppressed the sour feeling that rose from seeing Jiang Xia nestled in Shi Lan’s arms. With his lips pressed into a thin line, he said softly to Shi Lan, "Lanlan, I’ll hold you."
Shi Lan had already accepted them in her heart, so she wasn’t shy about this kind of intimacy. She nodded and walked over, still holding the shrunken Pallas’s cat, and nestled into Mu Tangfeng’s embrace as well.
Mu Tangfeng wrapped an arm tightly around her waist, spread his wings, and shot into the sky.
The winters on Yaoxing were cold and dry, even more so when speeding through the sky. However, with the fluffy Jiang Xia in her arms and Mu Tangfeng wrapping her in his thick, plush coat, Shi Lan was shielded from the biting wind. In fact, the warmth from Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng’s bodies made her cheeks flush red, and even her breaths came out in warm puffs.
She tried to peek her head out for some fresh air, but as soon as she did, Mu Tangfeng would thoughtfully use his free hand to shield her head and tuck the coat in tighter. "Stay hidden, Lanlan. Don’t catch a cold."
Jiang Xia, still in her arms, placed his fluffy paws on her slightly chilled hands to warm them up.
Shi Lan remembered the cold she’d caught last time and obediently settled down. Nestled in his embrace, she gave directions based on Xiao Du’s prompts while secretly glancing at Mu Tangfeng’s beating wings out of the corner of her eye, unable to look away.
’So beautiful.’
Especially during the day, flecks of golden light scattered across his wings. It was as if the light had merged into them, turning the white feathers in the middle into a more brilliant orange-gold. The tips of the feathers looked as if they had been dipped in golden paint, bleeding into a large patch of red, like a phoenix reborn from the flames, making them look even more sacred and breathtaking.
Shi Lan kept her hands busy cuddling the fluffy creature in her arms, while her eyes remained glued to Mu Tangfeng’s wings. So, even though she couldn’t peek outside along the way, she wasn’t bored at all.
The energy source was in a rather remote location. Mu Tangfeng flew very fast, and after about ten minutes, Shi Lan guessed they must have reached some secluded area. She could no longer see a single person out of the corner of her eye; instead, there was a vast expanse of pine trees. The green pines were ancient and majestic, soaring into the clouds, their dense gathering creating a scene of lush prosperity.
"Why are there so many pine trees?"
Her eyes were full of confusion, but Mu Tangfeng explained, "I did a bit of research before. Apparently, Yaoxing was one of the first test sites for planting greenery to combat the Insect Clan. They chose pine trees because the winters here are quite long."
"But later on, the Insect Clan switched to eating meat, so the destruction of plants was greatly reduced. The vegetation at these test sites was never removed."
Shi Lan blinked. "I see. No wonder there are so many pine trees here."
The interstellar-wide planting initiative had originally started with everyday vegetables and plants before expanding to trees and other vegetation. However, not many people had the necessary cultivation skills, so the government sent specialists to select a few sparsely populated planets for trials. Furthermore, to make the trees grow faster, the saplings used in the experiment were genetically modified for accelerated growth.
So, after Yaoxing became a test site, the pines grew into a forest. Since the Insect Clan no longer destroyed them and the residents didn’t cut them down, the trees just continued to flourish.
After Mu Tangfeng’s brief explanation, they sped over the vast Pine Forest. Suddenly, Xiao Du sent a thought to her: [Master, I can feel it! It seems to be in the Pine Forest, right around our current location.]
Shi Lan nodded and immediately told Mu Tangfeng, "We’re here. It’s right below us."
"Okay."
Mu Tangfeng replied and began to descend, heading down into the forest.
Soon, the three of them landed. Mu Tangfeng folded his wings, and Jiang Xia leaped from Shi Lan’s arms, transforming back into his human form.
When Shi Lan had looked down from above, the Pine Forest was just a sea of green, like a large splotch of dark green ink spreading on paper. But once inside the forest, she realized the towering trees blotted out the sun, making the light somewhat dim.
Thankfully, it was daytime, not pitch-black like it was on Black Star where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.
Mu Tangfeng and Jiang Xia exchanged a look, and with a silent understanding, they flanked Shi Lan, protecting her on both sides.
Although they didn’t understand what this energy Shi Lan spoke of was, they knew that if it was as good as she said, it certainly wouldn’t be easy to obtain. There might be other potential dangers.
Shi Lan, too, remained vigilant.
Meanwhile, just outside Yaoxing’s atmosphere, over a dozen Teleportation Spaceships were rapidly descending for landing.
The spaceship doors opened, and He Hanshi, dressed in an Onyx-gold military uniform, was the first to step out. He released a Hovercar from his cufflink.
Bai Feng walked to his side and reported, "The tracker on the last member of the Insect Clan following the Insect Mother led us here to Yaoxing. The target destination is currently a little over ten kilometers away."
He Hanshi walked briskly toward the Hovercar. "Understood. All personnel will switch to Hovercars and proceed immediately."
Teleportation Spaceships required designated landing points, but Hovercars were permitted to fly freely in residential areas, so they had to switch vehicles.
As he spoke, something else seemed to occur to him. He immediately opened his chip and sent a message.
